--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm going to confess something about myself which I suspect is true for many performers: Every time you applaud for me, I believe that part of you is actually saying, "I appreciate all the time you focused on that silly thing rather than your depression."

  - Russ Sharek, social media post.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Around the time of that post, despite having no musical background, I randomly decided to try and learn to play the accordion.

It was the sort of steep learning curve which I become obsessed with from time to time, thankfully blocking out whatever negative spirals I would otherwise find myself mired deeply within.

Marie, who essentially thinks in music as a first language, was delightful and supportive. She encouraged me to explore, learn, and most of all play like a child.

Somewhere along this winding musical journey, likely just before I became completely frustrated by the complexity of every piece of music I touched, Marie sat down and helped me create this simple waltz. It was just complex enough to feel like "real" music, and sounded pleasant despite my absolute lack of talent.

After a few months, she scribbled the notes down on paper for me. I carried them around like a precious relic.

It took a few more years of learning before I could attempt to properly typeset the lovely nonsense we had created, and in the interim the tune had been slightly improved. For history's sake, both the original score and the final rendition of the "Valse des Idiotes" are included in this archive.

We gift them to the world, and especially to anyone who needs a playful distraction from the very heavy things which sometimes weigh us down.

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews